It’s all very well having a house that looks magazine-worthy, but it’s so important to live somewhere that feels like ‘home’; a reflection of your personality that’s truly unique to you, where you can relax in a sanctuary full of memories and harmony.

Here are 5 top tips for adding a pop of personality to your home decor:

1. THINK BEYOND NEW AND FEEL GREAT ABOUT IT

Trends that encourage upcycling and reusing are not only hitting environmental agendas and saving people money but they are also encouraging people to expand their creative minds too, enabling them to create a place that truly feels unique.

Embrace different styles and shapes in favour of ‘matching sets’ and clean lines

Imagine granny’s upcycled dining table paired with new scalloped velvet chairs, get crafty by adding quirky fringing to a modern lampshade or paint odd dining chairs different colours for a unique look. Before throwing out an old ladder, consider hanging throws off it in your living room, or towels in your bathroom.

If you don’t have items to upcycle consider sources like Gumtree, Ebay and Facebook pages and let your imagination go wild! We bought some old rattan headboards from eBay and spruced them up with some Annie Sloan paint for Isla’s Boho Bedroom and Emmie’s Clouds Bedroom. Likewise for an old pine fireplace in our Family Room and in our indoor-outdoor feel garden. 

2. SPRUCE UP YOUR WALLS WITH ARTWORK THAT REFLECTS YOU 

Art is a great way of bringing personality to a space and it’s something that I often use as my inspiration to pull the rest of the decor together.

It could be framed memories from your favourite holiday like we did here from our 10 Day Florida Road Trip, you could create your own abstract art like I did here using acrylics and gold leaf on canvas, or you could simply find prints online that set the feel and tone you want for the room like we did in our living room. 

Companies such as Photowall offer some really creative options and my collection of personally designed art prints are perfect for abstract pastel lovers!

3. DISPLAY YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSIONS 

Objects with meaning can really bring your space to life. It could be framed medals grouped together in a ‘shelfie’ (My top tips for creating the perfect shelfie are here), heirlooms, or perhaps the first crochet piece you ever made carefully sewn into a cushion cover. 

4. BRING A SENSE OF NATURE TO YOUR STYLING

Flowers and grasses can really elevate a space and bring a whimsical vibe to a room. They cut through all the clean lines and introduce a sense of calm with a connection to the outside and the style of blooms and vase you choose can really reflect your personality. 

Think pampas grass for boho and neutral lovers, sprigs of olive branches, twisted willow or cherry blossom for a farmhouse chic vibe, or lots of different wild flowers picked from the garden for shabby chic and country cottage homes. 

You can check out my online Bloom Bar here which is full of beautiful grasses and everlasting bunches. 

5. GET CREATIVE WITH LEFTOVERS

If you have offcuts or sample sheets of wallpaper don’t throw them away as the possibilities with these little sheets of paper are endless. Wallpaper the backs of cabinets, use it to decoupage a quirky vase or even use it as a table runner to brighten up an old dining table (we did this for Easter). 

Along the same lines if you have old magazines, vintage music sheets or bits of wrapping paper cut them into shapes, glue to a piece of plain paper and you have yourself a bespoke piece of art (like we did in our Safari Chic Guest Room)!

Having something in your home that’s truly unique is a really great way to bring a pop of personality to your decor and be creative at the same time. As Stephen Mitchell said: ‘Creativity, not normality, has become the paradigm of mental health’

I hope these 5 top tips have helped to inspire some ideas!

Kel x

Founder of ohsokel.com – the source of inspiration for beautiful living and unique chic homeware to help you Live Beautiful.